F1 2023 results: FP1 timings from Spanish Grand Prix practice

Thomas Maher 02 Jun 2023 1:34 PM

Red Bull driver Sergio Perez on track at the Spanish Grand Prix. Barcelona, June 2023. — Red Bull's Sergio Perez on track at the Spanish Grand Prix. Barcelona, June 2023.

Check out the results from the first practice session in Barcelona, where Max Verstappen has led a Red Bull 1-2.

The reigning World Champion was imperious in the first practice session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, popping in a 1:14.606 on the soft compound Pirellis to wrestle away top spot from team-mate Sergio Perez.

The Mexican driver had gone quickest with his soft tyre attack lap, with a 1:15.374 his best effort before switching back to the medium compound.

Having finished on the podium last time out in Monaco, Esteban Ocon was third fastest for Alpine and less than half a tenth off the pace set by Perez.

With the track layout having changed from last year, removing the clunky final chicane, the drivers spent the hour slowly ramping up the pace through the now-high-speed final corners, while focus was also given over to testing out the new prototype Pirelli compounds.

PlanetF1.com recommends

Red Bull receive power boost in further blow to rivals Spanish GP hopes

Spain GP FP1: Red Bull 1-2 with Ferrari’s old-spec SF-23 faster than the new version

With Ferrari running two different configurations of SF-23, all eyes were on Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz as the Spaniard tried out the new upgrades, which includes a completely revised sidepod design.

But the session was inconclusive from an external viewpoint, with Leclerc ending up the quicker of the two as he placed seventh and a second off the pace, while also being 0.032s quicker than Sainz managed on the same compound.

Mercedes and Aston Martin also had quiet sessions, with Fernando Alonso the lead Aston down in sixth place, and George Russell in 10th as the lead Mercedes.

AlphaTauri’s Nyck de Vries split the Alpines, with Pierre Gasly in fifth. The French driver had a curious moment towards the end of the session as he made contact with Williams’ Logan Sargeant with the American apparently unaware of the Alpine on his inside, but the contact was inconsequential in what was otherwise a clean session.

Click here for our full FP1 session report.

2023 Spanish Grand Prix First Practice (FP1) Results: